Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Six PCC Students to be Praised for Academic Excellence

Photos and story by James Hill

Gov. John Kitzhaber will honor 38 student scholars from around the state’s 17 community colleges at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 28, including six from Portland Community College. The Outstanding Student Scholars ceremony, sponsored by the Oregon Community College Association (OCCA), is in its ninth year and will be held at the Governor’s Ceremonial Office in the State Capitol in Salem. A luncheon will follow the presentations at the Creekside Country Club in south Salem. There are two students who will be awarded scholar distinctions from each of the main community college campuses in Oregon, including two from each of PCC’s three main campuses – Sylvania, Rock Creek and Cascade. "Your achievements are a source of pride for those of us who believe strongly in the mission of Oregon’s community colleges," Gov. Kitzhaber said in a letter to all of the scholars.

The six PCC scholars come from a wide variety of backgrounds and an even wider variety of interests. They have all made the Dean’s and President’s lists or have been honored through Phi Theta Kappa, the national two-year honor society. As a result, each scholar will be eligible for an automatic $1,000 scholarship, arranged by the OCCA, at any of the 20 public and private universities in the state.

Cascade Campus (705 N. Killingsworth Street)

Lindsey Grant of northeast Portland is 45 years of age and majoring in communications and social services at PCC with a grade-point average of 3.8. She has been honored for her poetry (1998 Marylhurst College National Poetry Month Celebration) and her ability to write screenplays (first place at the 1997 Oregon Film and Video Foundation Screenplay competition). Grant has been able to take full advantage of what PCC offers.

"As a ‘non-traditional’ student, I have found PCC enormously helpful in the fulfillment of my higher education goals," Grant said. "The instructors and other staff members continue to inspire me as I work toward fulfilling my general election requirements and as I take the opportunities presented to complement my career plans. My experience with Portland Community College has given me strength, self-assurance and focus in my life. I cannot say enough about it."

David Poole, who carries a GPA of 3.66, is pursuing political science and journalism at the age of 39. The northeast Portland resident is active in student government and a volunteer tutor at the Recovery Association Project and YWCA’s battered women’s shelter, Poole plans to transfer to Lewis and Clark College.

"My education is everything to me," Poole said. "At PCC I am getting a whole new life. It took me longer than most students to get here, but now I am here, I cherish this experience above all else."

Rock Creek Campus (17705 N.W. Springville Road)

At age 19, Stephanie Loop of Tualatin has cultivated a 4.0 GPA while majoring in veterinary technology at PCC. She has made honors through Phi Theta Kappa and has been involved in blood-borne pathogen training as well as an active member of the vet tech student club. She plans on being a veterinarian someday.

"I appreciate PCC’s flexibility for the working student’s schedule," Loop said. "Flexible scheduling is important to me because I work part time for a local veterinary hospital in order to expand my skills and knowledge."

Tillamook’s Elizabeth Saunders, 33, is majoring in political science and has also garnered a 4.0 GPA. Saunders has been aggressive in student affairs at PCC, testifying to the State Legislature about keeping students on the Oregon Health Plan and the Oregon Need Grant. She plans on transferring to Pacific University and getting a law degree.

"I chose a community college because I was seeking a specific environment; one in which I would have the opportunity to learn from professors who were excited about teaching and who also believed in encouraging students to ‘think outside the box’," Saunders said.

Sylvania Campus (19000 S.W. 49th Avenue)

Cheryl Good, 48, will take her abilities, finely crafted at PCC with a 4.0 GPA, to Warner Pacific College where she’ll major in social work. Good, a resident of southeast Portland, has been treasurer of Phi Theta Kappa and has directed local camps through her church and is an active member of the OHSU Respite Care Committee (Project AFIRM). She says there is plenty left to learn.

"I go home each day with new knowledge and information about things that I never really understood and always wondered about," Good said. "I am impressed daily that there is still so much that I haven’t learned nor experienced yet."

At 17 years old and the youngest of the state’s scholars, southwest Portland’s Lara Knudsen is an international studies and pre-med major with a 3.93 GPA. She has been a writer for The Bridge (PCC’s student newspaper) as well as The Body Politic and Max Magazine.

"When I first came to PCC, barely 16 years old in the high school completion program, I was skeptical of the quality of education that may be attained at a community college," Knudsen said. "But my experience at PCC has been invaluable, shaping my interests and goals for the future."

For more information on PCC’s student scholars, contact Susan Hereford in Public Affairs at 503-977-4421.